Algeria (Cossacks 3)
Background A long time ago, Algeria was inhabited by Berber tribes. In the 7th century it was conquered by Arabs, who converted the Berbers to Islam. During the Middle Ages and in later periods, Algeria was a centre of piracy. Famous buccaneers such as Hairaddine the Red Beard, Dragut and Ulge Ali controlled the Mediterranean Sea, and a lot of European countries were obliged to pay them tributes. During the period from 1609 to 1616, Algerian buccaneers managed to capture a great number of vessels (only 446 of them were British ships). Their soldiers raided the Azores, Denmark and Norway. Pirate ships were sighted at the Elba and the Thames. In 1799, even the United States, who had just declared their independence, had to pay the pirates 50 thousand dollars plus 28 cannons, 10,000 cannonballs along with a sufficient amount of gunpowder, and to provide the buccaneers with ships and the necessary equipment. Ottoman beys forced foreign visitors who brought their tributes to crawl under a wooden plank in order to make them bow to them. Sea piracy was legal and accompanied by the slave trade. Not just once did the European countries try to capture Algeria and smite the pirates' lair. In 1655, the British navy set sail and fought against Algeria. In 1683, the French fleet fired about six thousand cannonballs at Algiers and left the city in ruins. Five years later, in 1687, French Admiral d'Estre and a huge fleet armed with 18 thousand bombs were sent to destroy the city once again. But this time Algiers was greatly reinforced. About 100 cannons were set on the shore, while the city itself encamped 20 thousand soldiers. Civilians were evacuated to a safer place. When the siege and bombardment began, Algerian General Mesamorto ordered his troops to load the French consul and other French captives into the cannon and fire them at the enemy. The French fleet faced a serious counterattack. In 1830, the French army entered Algeria and took power in their hands. Characteristics Algeria is one of three factions (besides Turkey and Ukraine) which lacks the 18th century upgrade in the town hall, and is also the only faction besides Turkey who does not get the balloon upgrade in the academy. Algeria only has four regular units: * Ottoman Pikeman * Light Infantry * Archers * Mamelukes Algeria's barracks and stable are initially cheap, costing more stone than wood and no gold, but have a high rebuild factor (5 for barracks, 7 for stable). Infantry upgrades are comparably cheap, while the upgrades for the Mamelukes are very cost-heavy (gold mainly needed for attack, iron needed for defense upgrades), comparable to Light Sipahi, Sich and Register Cossack upgrades. Strategy Algeria is perfect for games with low peacetime settings, or none at all. Their Light Infantry and Archers are cheap and trained very fast. A certain amount of gold and iron is needed to upgrade them. Mamelukes are a valuable addition for the mid-game. In the late stage, Algeria's units are outclassed by 18th century units like Grenadiers and Skirmish units, which can only be compensated with massed formations and a smart use of artillery. An advantage in the early game is the low cost and construction time for the barracks, stable and minaret (replacing the academy), which gives Algeria a head start. This is important for successful early attacks. Additionally, the costs for several food production, artillery and ship upgrades are significantly cheaper. Building housings is especially important, as town halls and barracks get less population support than their standard counterparts, and because Algeria is heavily relying on massed formations. Stone is more important than wood, so the mining upgrades should be researched relatively soon when the match advances past the early stage. Back to Cossacks 3 Category:Factions Category:Nation